Monday, January 02, 2012

Looking at the 16th Pick

There is so much that can change the draft and the way that teams select that it's really hard to look at KC's first round pick, the 16th overall, let alone the rest of KC's draft. So we're going to just look at the 16th draft pick at this point and go through the rest of the picks as they come up during the draft.

Last year with the 10th pick I had said that KC needed to grab either a defender, either AJ Soares or Jalil Anibaba. Neither player was available at the 10 spot, and KC didn't even go defensive. Instead, KC went with a forward, and drafted the rookie of the year, CJ Sapong. This year I still think that KC needs to go with a center back. Although unlike last year, I don't think that KC needs to find a starter in this year's draft. They need a guy who could start if need be, but isn't expected to be a starter right out of the gate. Based on what it seems KC could get out of the 16th pick, I think that's probably a better expectation.

KC currently has Matt Besler, Aurelien Collin, Julio Cesar, and likely Daneil Cyrus, whose official return hasn't been announced yet. But with Cesar playing more in the midfield, getting some depth in the center of defense would be a good thing. So who could be available at the 16 spot when it comes to KC? Andrew Wenger is probably the top prospect that can play center back, but it'll be surprising if the Generation Adidas signing falls out of the top 3 or 4. Matt Hedges, of national champion, UNC is another center back that likely isn't going to be around at the 16 spot.

The rest of the depth at center back in the first round is likely going to be played out depending on where other teams choose to go with their pick. Aaron Maund of Notre Dame could potentially be on the board still and could provide center back coverage. Also available could be the player that Ives has us taking in his latest mock draft, Austin Berry of Louisville.

If KC doesn't go with a center back, they could look to improve their depth on the forward position, specifically the wing forwards. Bobby Convey could be the starter on the left wing and Kei Kamara is likely to start on the right, but getting depth could be something Peter Vermes is looking at. Maybe going after a guy like Brian Ownby, Ethan Finlay, Lucky Mkosana, or even maybe reach a little more with a guy like Arthur Ivo.

One thing I've learned with Vermes as coach is that it's incredibly hard to figure out which way he's going to go with his picks.